Revolvers, are they still relevant?

[jetfire]

I have a nice Evyl Robot rayskin holster for my Colt 1903*. Stop talking like that.

(Which, incidentally, has been absolutely reliable thus far. Other than the grip panels, every part including the springs on that gun are 109 years old.)

There was a dude who shot a 1903 Colt (with the 3.75 inch barrel) at the IDPA BUG Nationals. He didn't win the match, but he won ALL the style points.

[gtmtnbiker98]

My J frames may not be the best in theory, but often are in the realities of daily life.
So yup... they're still relevant.

Pretty much my summation, as well.

[Totem Polar]

This reminds me... I need more than one J frame.

Wait... you mean you don't have more than one J frame?

[TGS]

Pretty much my summation, as well.

I agree with JodyH as well.

And, well, you too. It's a really good summation, actually.

I haven't found super subcompact autos to be terribly reliable....at least not the ones in 380 or larger. I think the old Mauser M1914 and Mauser HSc are awesome pistols, as long as you're willing to use a 32 ACP.

If you go larger, such as a Walther PPS.....it's a great pistol, but in practical use is not the same footprint to work with as a J-frame. A J-frame just disappears (both in sight and in mind) compared to similarly sized autos.

So, are revolvers still relevant? Quantitatively, no....an auto beats it on paper. Qualitatively, they absolutely have their place.

The caveat to that is my opinion that most people who carry J-frames because they think they need to are only kidding themselves. They could carry a Walther PPS instead and still not notice it's there, which from owning both I'd rate the PPS as a much better shooting platform. Even leaving out all the capacity and reload arguments, I felt the PPS was incredibly easy to put rounds on target very quickly, with little effort. It's the sub-compact that shoots like a service pistol. But yeah, if you're looking for a BUG, NPE gun, or clipped-on sweatpants gun like JodyH mentioned in Anatomy of a Lounge-Around Gun, a J-frame can be really hard to beat.

[rsa-otc]

I can't believe you guys sucked me into this argument, I usually stay out of these Revolver vs Auto debates.

My take, since below are the arguments you usually hear in these discussions:

IMO, no, not for duty use.
They're heavier, Depends on what you are comparing them against; today's Tupperware most definitely, 1911 or other all metal auto's it can go either way depending on the model.

have less capacity, No argument here

slower to reload, Again depends on your experience and training, I've been shooting both for about 20 years, My reloads between the two platforms are about the same. Now I put more time in on the wheely, so it could be said that if I concentrated on the semi auto those reloads will be faster, then again I bet if I concentrate my time on the revolver I could shave some time off there as well. I know that the semi auto will ultimately be faster, my point is the difference is not all that much.

mechanically more complicated, Again what are you comparing it to? Striker Fired guns, yes they have less parts. But in any hammer fired weapon I bet there is as many parts in those as there are in your S&W revolver, During the H&K 45 test Todd remarked on the difficulty in servicing that platform.

harder to clear when a malfunction occurs. Sorry but with the proper training not the case. Even the horrid spent casing under the extractor can be cleared quickly if you know what you are doing. In fact the revolver is easier to handle the most common failure the dud round. there are no stove pipes, double feeds etc. In my experience any malfunction that will mechanically take out a revolver, the equivalent will down an auto as well.

Many will disagree, but what I posted is indisputable fact, like it or not.

The only indisputable fact here is that revolvers hold less rounds and you need to reload more often. Last weekend I shot a IDPA club match of 28 shooters with quite a few shooters at my classification (expert). I took 4th place overall with my revolver, as well as most accurate. I had 4 more reloads compared to the 1911 shooters and 5 more compared to the rest. When you adjust the results for the extra reloads I would have been 2nd to a sponsored pro shooter who spends a whole lot more time practicing than I do. And to be frank I shot it wearing the equivalent to a cast on my left ankle. This is my usual results shooting against folks at my level.

What is the common advice to someone who wants to improve their trigger control - "get a double action revolver".

While I give the nod to the auto due to it's higher capacity all the rest is just "bunk"; my usual advise to folks is to carry what you shoot best and for some that's the venerable revolver. The fact is I carry a revolver on duty (for many legal and logistical reasons) and I am comfortable doing so.

[gtmtnbiker98]

Welcome RSA, what took so long? Healthy exchanges in this thread, I must say.

[NETim]

[rsa-otc]

Now that's just sexy right there.

[feudist]

Now that's just sexy right there.

Which butt?

Sorry.

[rsa-otc]

Which butt?

Sorry.